The Knicks have been hot recently, and they have climbed back into serious contention. Last Thursday, they even beat the Miami Heat, further proving how much they have improved in the past couple of weeks. It also proved that come playoff time, they might actually stand a chance against Miami because they match up well with the Heat.

Which brings us to this Thursday, when the world would find out how they matched up with Indiana. The answer: not well.

To be fair, Tyson Chandler is still not 100 percent in just his second game back from an upper respiratory infection, and he is a huge part of the Knicks’ matchup with Indiana because he is one of just a few players in the league who can play with Roy Hibbert.

Despite Carmelo Anthony‘s 28 points, it was an ugly game for the Knicks. It’s not a bad thing to lose in Indiana. The Pacers might be the best team in the league this year, but the Knicks were never even in this game in the second half. If the Knicks do make the playoffs, they would most likely have to go through Indiana; and if tonight is any indication, it would be a very quick series.

The other story in this game were the early exits for Kenyon Martin and Amar’e Stoudemire. Both players left with ankle injuries. Since being picked up late last year, Martin has brought an added toughness to this team, a toughness they desperately need. Stoudemire’s latest injury really has to anger Knicks fans as the power forward was finally starting to get into a groove of his own before going down yet again.

The Knicks have another game tomorrow at Madison Square Garden against the Los Angeles Clippers. If both Martin and Stoudemire are forced to miss that game, it would certainly put the team in a tough situation.